Susan Frankl’s path to painting began long before she ever picked up a brush. Born in New York City to parents who were both makers — her mother a dress and pattern maker on Seventh Avenue and her father a master tool and die craftsman — she grew up around appreciation of design, shape, precision, texture, and design. From them, she absorbed not only an appreciation for craftsmanship, but also resilience and compassion shaped by their experiences as Holocaust survivors. Those values led her to a 40-year career as a primary care physician and medical educator, where care, intuition, and human connection were central to her work.

Childhood weekends spent with her family in the countryside brought a sense of freedom in open spaces and fostered a love of landscapes that deepened over time through hiking and travel. During her years in medicine, the sky, the sea, mountain air, and expansive horizons became places of restoration and reflection.

When she began painting, the areas surrounding her home in Truro, Massachusetts were her first muse. Working in acrylic and collage, she translated the surf, sunsets, beach, and local street scenes onto canvas. An artist residency in Southern Tuscany further affirmed her commitment to painting and to exploring how place can be transformed through memory and emotion.

Over time, her work evolved from representation toward abstraction. Today, Susan creates layered, textural land- and ocean-scapes that evoke atmosphere rather than describe it. Using acrylic paint, gold leaf, charcoal, and collage, she builds surfaces intuitively, allowing each painting to unfold organically. Her process mirrors the balance she once practiced in medicine — knowledge paired with instinct; structure balanced with openness.

Susan’s paintings are inspired by the dune and coastal landscapes of Cape Cod and by the elemental forces of land, water, sky, and light. Through her work, she seeks to create spaces of pause and possibility — places where viewers can feel grounded, curious, and quietly connected to something larger than themselves.

Her work has been exhibited in juried shows including at Castle Hill Truro Center for the Art in 2025, the 24th Annual Frances N. Roddy Competition, and was selected for the Concord Art Association’s 2024 calendar. She continues to study and refine her practice, bringing the same dedication to painting that defined her decades in medicine.